The King of the Jews
by alimison
Summary: A short story seen through the eyes of a child who follows Jesus to Golgotha the day he is crucified


The King of the Jews  
  
He staggers down the crowded street, weighed down by a crude, rough cross. Ribbons of flesh dangle off his entire body, a crown of thorns presses mercilessly into his already mangled forehead. The dust he walks through is mingled with great drops of blood. He is shamed in front of all of Jerusalem, and the question in everyone's minds is, "What did he do? What did he do to deserve this?" People mock and jeer, and stare in righteous anger at this sinner, this liar. "Whatever he has done, I would never do. I'm no sinner. I obey the rules, most of the time, and the only bad I do will be weighed against the good and found to be less. This man must be wicked, evil, and he deserves whatever he gets."  
  
Something about this man captures all my wonder, I have to follow, I have to see. I forget my mother's errand; I forget my friends waiting for me. What did he do? Why is he so cruelly flogged, why is he so mocked? Why does he go so willingly? I try to push through the crowd, but everyone is so much taller than me, and there are so many people watching - but there is no need to hurry, for his steps are painful and slow, although he is hit again and again by the Romans whenever he slows even more. Finally, with a cry, he collapses under the weight of his cross, and lies on the ground unable to rise again from under it. After the Romans kick him like a dog, they grudgingly realise he cannot bear that weight any more, and they pull a man out of the crowd to carry the cross for the sinner.  
  
We keep trudging until we come to the place of the Skull - Golgotha. The sinner is laid onto the cross without complaint or fighting, and huge, iron nails are pushed through his wrists to hold him in place. Slowly the cross is erected and he hangs in between two other criminals, already gasping for his breath. A sign hangs above him - it says 'THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.' 'A king?' I think. 'But . . . We don't have a king.' The priests and rulers sneer at him. "He saved others! Let him save himself, if he is God! He trusts in God, let God save him now!" I start to wonder - they don't know what's going on, do they? They don't understand. That man on the cross doesn't want to save himself. I don't understand why, but the steadiness in his eyes is tinged with a strength that places a conviction in my heart.  
  
And then one of the criminals with him starts heaping insults on him. He scoffs, "Aren't you the Christ? Save us and save yourself!" But the other criminal says as loudly as it is possible to, in between his regular gasps of air as he tries to comfort himself, "Don't you fear God even when you are dying? . . . We deserve this . . . he does not . . ." He painfully raises himself up on the cross and whispers, "This man has done nothing wrong." And now he looks at Jesus, his eyes desperate and hopeful at the same time, "Jesus . . . remember me when you come into your kingdom . . ." And all is still as Jesus replies, taking agonised gasps for breath, "I tell you the truth . . . today, you will be with me . . . in Paradise."  
  
I don't understand what is going on. But I kneel down, and I pray. 'O God! This man is truly righteous! O God, save me!' I look up at the cross, and I see Jesus, and he is looking at me! He is looking at me, and although he is still dragging himself up and down to steal a ravaged breath, he has a little smile in his eyes as he looks at me. And I smile back with tears in my eyes and there is more communication in that one moment than in my entire life. And I know, at that very moment, that this man truly is God, and that . . . he is dying for me, his blood for me, his flesh for me? Because he loves me? It seems too terrible to be true! I don't know what to think; an aweful, awful death for the Almighty - and he did it for me? I look into his eyes one last time, and then he raises them to heaven; he cries out loudly, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" He breathes his last, and a fearful darkness comes over the land, and the ground shakes, and I am terrified, I run and I fall onto the ground in front of Jesus' body.  
  
And I'm sobbing.  
  
'Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.' Isaiah 53vv4- 6.  
  
'On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took they spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, he has risen!"' Luke 24vv1-6.  
  
'A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas [who did not believe Jesus had risen] was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."' John 20vv26-29.  
  
'I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades[Hell].' Revelation 1v18.  
  
'You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.' Romans 5v8.  
  
'Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?' 1 Corinthians 15vv54-55.  
  
'For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Romans 6v23.  
  
'These are written that you may believe that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.' John 20v31.  
  
'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life'. John 3v16. 


End file.
